Demons Don't Always Tell The Truth (Kate Storm Series Book 3) (19 page)

Derek pushed up to his knees, wobbled, grabbed the exact same branch Désirée had clubbed him with, and used it as a crutch to stand as upright as he was able.

Blood now matted the hair by his temple, flowed freely from the corner of his left eye and under his nose. Scrapes and several large gashes covered both cheeks, his nose, forehead and chin.

He looked like shit.

"Get over here, you bitch. We're leaving."

The prince hadn't just lost his marbles, he'd traded them for crazy juice.

"Um." I raised my hand.

Ash caught my hand in his and shook his head. He gave me a look that clearly said, "let's let the gargoyle deal with the bat-shit crazy prince."

I agreed on principal, but I was no longer scared or angry with Derek and I sort of thought someone needed to help bring him up to date on reality.

"Désirée get over here now." Derek snapped his fingers at the spot next to him as if calling a dog.

Bad, very bad mistake.

Up to that point, I thought he had a chance. I mean he was rude and disrespectful and he'd been terrorizing Désirée for months, but she had taken her pound of revenge as well as pounded her revenge.

She seemed good.

Neither Phil nor Ash appeared to feel any need to beat on him some more. Désirée Norma-Sue had been quite thorough.

But the whole snapping of his fingers and calling to Désirée as if she was an animal turned the entire tide.

Ash stiffened and stepped in front of me.

Phil unfurled his wings, placed Désirée behind him and then used his tail to ease her back several more feet.

"You may leave now."

I peeked around Ash's shoulders to see Derek make a shooing motion with the hand that was not braced on the branch. He  spoke to the massive demon and the enraged gargoyle. Dismissive king to unruly subjects.

Total crackpot.

I looked over at Désirée. "You actually agreed to marry him?"

She'd just discovered one leaf in her hair and was attempting to detangle it. She shrugged. "He's been getting worse and worse." She tugged at the leaf, ripped it. "I think when I ended the engagement it sort of broke him." She dropped the leaf sections on the ground.

Phil planted his taloned wing tips into the ground and bellowed. A gargoyle war cry.

I waited until the reverberations ended. "Was he this bad before?"

"No." She smoothed her blouse, frowned at the tear in her sleeve then ripped both sleeves off. "He's a fairy prince. The royal Fae often feel entitled." She tugged the tails of her shirt out of her pants, unbuttoned the last three buttons and then tied the two ends together, displaying a good two inches of smooth, sparkling, perfect skin. "Because he's gorgeous, Derek often felt especially entitled."

"How dare you speak to Désirée like that!" Phil roared at Derek.

"You've made a serious mistake, Fairy." Ash growled.

Désirée smiled at Phil's back and stroked his tail as it swung near her. "My hero."

Actually, I was still firmly of the belief that Désirée was the heroine and Phil and Ash were simply back up. But I wasn't going to rain on anyone's cauldron.

"I will speak to her any way I want, Gargoyle." I checked on Derek, on the other side of Ash. He continued to clutch the branch as a cane. Standing upright was becoming an issue, he'd turned pale and shook. "She's my fiancé."

And any connection to reality continued to evade his grasp.

"He had some redeeming qualities at first, right?" I must admit to a small amount of disassociation myself. I was having a heck of a time reconciling my secretary to the nutcase spouting off utter nonsense.

"Yes." Désirée Norma-Sue frowned down at her feet and kicked off her other shoe. She shrank about four inches, but at least she was level now. "I told you, at first he was quite charming. Complimented me all the time, gave me presents." She sighed. "Really, he acted like a true prince."

"She's not your anything." Phil arched his back and flapped his wings.

Désirée and I lunged towards each other and held on. Our combined body weight - mine a tad more than hers - kept us grounded.

"She's mine."

Phil literally beat his chest with his fists. Désirée sighed and patted her hand over her heart.

Ash lit up with orange-red flames from his shoulders to his upper thighs.

"I'll show you. Both of you."

I saw Derek lift his hand with the black watch. His charm for the black magic.

I tensed slightly in preparation for my fear. I knew how evil black magic was and what it could do.

The panic never came.

He'd spooked me in my office, one on one and using evil spells to manipulate me. But, frankly, I think all my worries fled the moment I saw Désirée bashing him with her branch.

Bruised and bloodied and bearing numerous scratches he just didn't inspire concern anymore.

Plus, we had a Demon King and a really big gargoyle between us and any black magic. I turned back to Désirée.

Phil bellowed.

Let any harm try to get passed the two of them.

Ash growled. I heard a shriek and the black watch came flying to land at our feet. I found a long stick to pick it up with.

"I guess I can see the initial attraction." If I tried really, really hard. Mostly because she was my friend.

The Derek getting his ass kicked was a thousand miles removed from the Derek who had creeped me out in my office and courted Désirée Norma-Sue a year ago.

"I will say I never thought he'd turn out like this." Désirée winced at the sound of a bone breaking.

I tilted my head towards the smack down taking place behind us. "Do you feel any need to . . .?" I wasn't quite certain what the appropriate verb was in this circumstance. Join in? Break a leg? Kick him in the balls?

"Stomp the ever lovin' fairy dust outta him?" Désirée smiled. "No. I got that all out of my system with my branch."

I motioned towards the road with the stick and raised my brows. I doubted the smack down would take too much more time. And I didn't want to walk back to the truck with Derek whimpering the entire time.

"Sugar Bear, we'll see you back at the truck." Désirée turned towards the road, sexy and fashionable once again despite the lack of shoes and the two leaves she hadn't yet discovered.

"It would be better if you don't kill him." She yelled over the moans. "I don't want to deal with the body."

I followed her. "I thought you said you had a cousin with a gator farm?"

Not that I wanted to deal with disposing of a dead body. I'd had my fair share of that, thank you very much. And I wasn't of the opinion that Désirée Norma-Sue actively encouraged murder either.

However, she had hired Snake and the prince had been stalking her. Sometimes a fairy will weigh her options and go with the most expedient one.

"I do. But his farm is in Louisiana. Can you imagine the smell by the time we got there?"

And at different times, certain other things weigh more heavily.

Regardless, my secretary was back. I didn't have to worry about her anymore. Désirée Norma-Sue was definitely over any issues she had with the prince.

30. Confronting Big Al.

I called my aunt on the way home.

"Hello, dear. How's Désirée?"

"She's good." Désirée Norma-Sue was cradled on Phil's lap in the back seat of Ash's truck. "We found her just outside of Dominion. Her ex-fiancé tried to drag her off into the woods. She lost her shoes, but she's fine." I glanced at her in the rear view mirror. "Actually, she looks fabulous."

She did too. Phil had found the rest of the vegetation in her hair and removed it. Her skin glowed and sparkled. And her outfit looked as though she'd bought it off the rack of a high end store.

I smoothed several wrinkles in my shirt.

"Excellent. And emotionally?"

I smiled at the memory. "She beat him with a branch."

"Wonderful. They say physical therapy is so good for you."

I was pretty certain she was confusing different types of therapy, but I held my tongue. It had certainly worked for Désirée.

"I brought Al home about twenty minutes ago. He's been very worried."

My emotional high took an immediate nosedive.

I hadn't come up with anything to say to him. Not a single thing.

My gut twisted into a million knots.

Suddenly Ash's hand was on my knee. I looked over, he frowned back. He'd picked up on my emotional distress without my having to say a word.

Spirits. This was exactly what the couples I matched did. They picked up on each other's body language.

Ash and I were a couple.

It might wound Al, but we'd work it through somehow. We had to.

"Thanks for watching him, Aunt Tabs."

"You're quite welcome, dear. I'm making manicotti Friday night, why don't you and Al and Ash come to dinner? We really should become better acquainted."

Witchy intuition. I kid you not.

"Sounds good, Aunt Tabs."

"Excellent. Oh, dear. Look at the time. I, uh, have to go, dear. I, uh, have an important call to make."

"Bye, Aunt Tabs."

My witchy intuition may not be as keen as my aunt's, but even I knew she had a kidnapping to cancel.

****

We dropped off Phil and Désirée Norma-Sue at her apartment. I told her to take the rest of the week off. She said she'd be in the next day.

I guess there really is something to physical therapy.

I called and changed the message on my answering machine at
Love Required
. There weren't any important calls to return and I figured after our morning, both Désirée Norma-Sue and I deserved a day off. Wednesdays were slow anyways.

Ash pulled up in front of my apartment. I didn't move.

My nerves were bundled tighter than the first time I'd ridden my broom.

"It'll be okay, Kate." Ash reached over and unbuckled my seat belt to pull me across the bench seat and into his lap. He wrapped his arms around me and nuzzled my neck.

"Al loves you."

I moaned.

Ash threaded his fingers into my curls and tugged my head back. He touched his nose to mine. "I mean he loves you and wants you to be happy. Somewhere in that little brain of his, he has to know a relationship will never work out between the two of you."

I kept hoping so, but he continued to prove me wrong. He could out stubborn the most stubborn of Chihuahuas.

"Come on. Let's get this over with."

I set my hand on his chest. "I need to be the one to talk to him." I moved my hand up to Ash's cheek. "Alone."

Ash nodded. "I'll wait in your bedroom."

"How about the back deck?" I hurried on before he could argue. "We don't need to rub his nose in it."

I had a feeling Ash planned to spend the night, but I'd cross that bridge after I devastated my Chihuahua.

Damn it.

He was waiting for me inside the door.

"You're looking better, Doll. The bags are gone from under your eyes." He sighed and rubbed against my ankle. "It's good to see you happy again."

His little body stiffened. Al lifted his lip and growled viciously. "What are you doing here, Ass?"

I snatched up Al and headed into the living room. I couldn't have this conversation with him in my bedroom and the kitchen was too close to the deck.

"I'll be waiting outside."

I nodded, but kept my full attention on Al. He was trying to wiggle out of my arms. Lunging in Ash's direction, snarling and snapping his teeth.

"Al, stop please." Oh, sweet Glinda. This was worse than I'd imagined. I pulled him into my neck. "Stop."

"Don't cry, Doll." Al turned his head and licked my neck. I wasn't even aware the tears had already started. "Don't cry. I'll kick him out. Ya won't have to see him anymore, I promise."

I lost it.

Totally and utterly, one hundred percent lost it.

My legs just sort of gave out from under me and I collapsed onto my living room floor. Great heaving sobs rose up from my chest.

I didn't want to do this. It wasn't the thought of confronting the issue, it was the thought of how much I was going to hurt him.

I loved Al. I couldn't ask for a more faithful companion.

Oh sweet Spirits, I hated this.

"Doll? Doll!" Al licked me frantically, nudging my head with his.

The door to my deck crashed open and I heard Ash running.

"Kate!" He dropped to his knees next to me. "Did he bite you?"

"I'd never hurt her, you Ass!" Al lunged for Ash. I grabbed his little body and pulled him back. "You're the one hurtin' her! You're makin' her miserable. She's lost weight. She isn't sleeping. I'm gonna kick your demon ass."

Ash pulled me onto his lap. I twisted so Al couldn't attack him. I couldn't speak. Tears poured down my cheeks and clogged my throat.

Ash pulled me in closer, pressing my head to his chest. "I know I hurt her."

"You admit it?" Al chomped down on Ash's arm before I could stop him. I choked on a sob.

"I didn't mean to and we've worked it out since then." He shook his arm. "Would you let go? I love her."

Al released Ash and sat down on his haunches in my lap.

"You love her?"

"Yes."

Al nudged my chin with the top of his head. "Doll?"

Shit. I knew what he was asking. He'd asked me before. My time was up.

I gulped in air. "I love him, Al."

I couldn't lie. He had to know the truth, no matter how much it hurt him. But it was killing me to know I was hurting him.

"Shit."

I waited for Al to leap for Ash's throat, his chest, anything. But after spitting out the curse word he sat silent in my lap.

I sniffled. "Al?"

Was he not going to talk to me anymore?

"Are you sure ya love him, Doll?" Al completely ignored the giant demon surrounding us.

"Yes."

I clenched my teeth, waiting for I didn't know what.

Al stood up on his hind legs, placed his tiny paws next to my mouth and licked me ever so sweetly on my mouth.

Ash growled.

"I want ya to be happy, Doll. That's all I've ever wanted." Al blinked his bulging watery eyes. "I still think I could have been the one." Ash made a snorting sound. I jabbed him in the stomach with my elbow. "But if he's what ya want and he makes ya happy then I won't stand in the way."

I kissed him. "Oh, Al."

"It killed me to see ya so unhappy, Doll." Al nuzzled his head against my breast. Ash picked him up and moved Al so he was tucked in between the two of us.

"I promise to make her happy from now on." Ash scratched Al between the ears.

"Ya better demon. I'll be right here if ya screw up."

I snuggled into Ash's heat, pulled Al up into my neck and just breathed. Coming back down from hysteria. Amazed the crisis was over and processing Al's grudging acceptance. It was more than I'd hoped.

I'm not sure how long we stayed like in that position. Ash finally shifted, lifted Al and I up and stretched out his legs.

"You know, Al, Drake and I were talking about a hunting trip next week."

"Going after some more quails?" The excited quiver in his tiny body betrayed his sneering tone.

"We haven't decided yet. You could come if you'd like."

Immediately a million ways Al could be hurt shot through my mind. Ash slid his hand into my curls and rubbed my scalp. I sighed.

Al would have a blast and Ash would keep him safe. I was going to have to learn how to let go. At least a little.

"There is one condition though."

I bit my lip. Ash was right. I hadn't thought it all the way through. Despite his former occupation, Al really couldn't carry or shoot a gun now. He'd have to set aside his unrealistic aspirations and accept the facts. Again. I hoped he wasn't going to be too disappointed.

"Yeah? What's that?" Al curled one lip.

He was just going to have to accept it. He couldn't shoot a gun and that was that.

It warmed my heart to know how much Ash cared. To include Al as one of the guys and to look out for him at the same time.

He was such a wonderful demon.

"You have stop
calling me Ass."